It's all over...

😢

Here's the link to the final production outcome:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8O-SA9S7y0&feature=youtu.be

Give it a watch through if you're interested, but please be nice... I haven't created anything like this before 😅

Thanks for following this blog!

 - Mollie 😊

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Final Aims and Intentions

Genre:

'Paranoid fiction'; 'dystopian'; 'Orwellian'

Channel:

ITV

Location in narrative:

Point of disruption.

Aiming to achieve:

   A dystopian production, lightly touching on sci-fi themes and genres like ‘paranoid fiction’ – a style more suited to the works of George Orwell (1984). The three-minute production will be at the point of disruption, where the enemy figure commences the operation to trace the protagonist and rebel group. This is during the time that the protagonist forms his alliance with this crowd, joining forces in fighting the hierarchy together.  My media magazine will promote this product with a feature article: a front cover and a Q+A style interview with a cast member.

Target Audience:

‘Renegade 7’ will be an ITV production, targeted at a demographic of ‘Millennials’ (18-35 years) – as with my magazine pieces. My series will be of particular interest to this audience, with themes mirroring the real dilemmas and controversies that preoccupy the minds of this age band. It will cater to those seeking an escapist fantasy with parallels giving the narrative more depth. In terms of gender appeal, the protagonist is male, but in order to by-pass the gender bias here, there is another focal female character in the series, not standing as merely a love interest. Issues such as mental health and LGBTQ+ will also be addressed. In terms of socio-economic groupings my target market would fall into the C1/C2 (lower middle class/skilled working class) bands, given that these will be most able to identify on a personal level with the focal characters. That said, I think that themes in society mirrored this way are universally understood.

Form and Style:

 The series will span many episodes, with a complex narrative that may have the potential to continue over several seasons. The production itself will have a high production value, working with a more cinematic style. A dystopian aesthetic will a large contribution to the product’s unique selling proposition. Given that crime drama is popular, but mildly overused, I decided to incorporate some stylistic features in my production, developing a ‘Dystopian-Noir’ feel. To broaden the show’s impact, I broke out of the confinement of one creative genre, allowing mine to work with much genre hybridity and therefore appeal to multi-fandom interests and audience personalities.

Themes and Features:

  A successful fictional dystopia needs a certain type of protagonist. A non-conformist. A rebel. Mine stands as a young man devoted to fighting for freedom, whilst at the same time trapped in his own mind, shackled by depression and PTSD – a perfect paradox. Subjecting this character to common themes of dystopia works to induce fear from parallels between this fiction and real-world problems. Having a relatable character allows the viewers to easily slip into his shoes, facing a world not too dissimilar from our own. A totalitarian hierarchy, loss of control, technological takeover – each fears of today’s millennial generation, and prominent subjects within dystopian literature. Orwell’s ‘1984’ has served as a large inspiration, and so themes and features of this text may be borrowed as a visual demonstration as to how disturbingly distorted our future could be.

This is the final outcome for my double page Q+A article. ^

Front Cover

...This is the finished product for the magazine cover we were tasked to design and create. I found it difficult to work with the text tool on Photoshop, but I'm fairly pleased with the final outcome. I made the 'actress' the main feature of the composition, with her feature article the most prominent. The other two articles I tried to write in keeping to the style of a lifestyle magazine, and the colour scheme and fonts were selected to reflect the mood and sophisticated style in the GQ Magazines I was inspired by.

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Magazine Cover + Double-Page Article

Cringy title, I know, but these are the finished images for my cover page and double-page article... 

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Q&A - edited article (draft)

'Renegade 7' (9:00 pm), the new series to ITV, has taken the television scene by storm. Viewers can't get enough of this dystopian mystery drama, and neither can we! We were lucky enough to have Lyra actress, Ellyn, speak with us here at ____ Magazine about her rise to stardom and her experience with working on this hit show:

__________________________________________________________________________

So, obviously you must be pretty excited to be working on your first role in the TV industry? How are you finding the world of production?

Honestly, I’m still overwhelmed. After the first few shoots I figured that the buzz would have worn off, but I was totally wrong. It’s demanding, I won’t lie, but I’m still convinced that it’s too much fun for me to call it a proper ‘job’.

I’m sure. Just how pleased were you to have been casted for this new series?

I’m incredibly lucky. Being able to learn and grow with an upcoming show takes the pressure off a little bit. I mean, of course you want to give your best for your audience, but it allows me time to develop my character as the narrative progresses. Also, this is the first major production for the whole team which is nice, because we’re all learning together. On ITV, too! That’s a pretty big deal. Again, I never thought I’d see the opportunity to work on something like this. When I was first approached, I left the offer hanging for a little while. I was so scared, and I didn’t think I had it in me, but threw myself at it – thank god – or I wouldn’t have had this amazing opportunity.

Obviously you like working with the show, but the concept itself. What do you make of it all? Do you think it’s relevant to today?

Oh, absolutely. It’s like a more modernised take on Orwell’s ‘1984’, and I think that in many ways it’s the similarities between this dystopian fiction and our reality that make it so much more of a success. It makes it less of simply a dystopian fiction, but throws an element of horror into the mix as it becomes clear that the tragedies of the narrative could be the outcomes of our own actions.

Do you think that the show is more suited to the younger adults of today, rather than the older population given the themes?

The series is definitely tailored to a more progressive audience. My age group of ‘millennials’, and also the ‘Gen Zs’ after us, will feel the deepest connection. The characters predominantly lie within these categories that might make it a little harder for older people to relate to. Ideas surrounding pollution, the media, mental health and current issues of female empowerment, disability inclusion, and… I’m not sure if I can tell you too much, but LGBTQ+ characters also make an appearance. More controversial topics basically, that might not be as well received or valued by the elderly than the young adults of today.

This female empowerment radiates from your character in particular. Do you think that having Lyra as a lead is important in today’s television industry?

Lyra isn’t the lead as much as she is a rival to Orin’s position. He’s still the focal character of the series but as you’ll start to discover – wink -, Lyra isn’t all she seems right now. That’s all I can tell you. The two work in unison with Orin being the key character, but the female presence challenges this and defying many stereotypes that a lot of women, particularly in the lore of television and cinema, are burdened with.

And you like working with this director? We hear they’re also fairly new to the scene. Could you share your experience with a newbie creator?

I always envisioned a director as being an older, grumpy guy with glasses, frowning in his special seat and living off of coffee – specific, I know. But I was wrong. Howarth is a joy to work with, very patient with all of us, and I’m so thankful to be working with her on my first large scale production. She’s an incredible visionary to create something so diverse, and she really holds the team together. I think that working such long hours in a frantic studio environment is enough to drive anyone slightly mad trying to organise, but she manages it. Also being a girl? I think that’s cool. Even now, like me, you probably picture mostly men running things behind the screens. Again, I was totally wrong. Maybe not about the coffee, though. I think it’s her life-source at this point.

I can’t say I blame her! Anyway, it’s been really great to speak with you today - I’m a big fan of your work so far, even if the series is in the earlier stages still. Did you have anything else you wanted to share? Maybe to your audience?

I mean, really just that I hope they’re enjoying the content as much as I am being part of creating it. Keep going – the drama’s barely kicked in yet. And to those that haven’t watched yet: don’t worry, you haven’t missed that much just yet. It’s something fresh and different, definitely worth a try. Even if it is a little dark. It’s also pretty diverse, so chances are they’ll be elements of it that will suit your taste.  

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Q+A article - rough draft

‘So, obviously you must be pretty excited to be working on your first role in the TV industry? How are you finding the world of production?’

Honestly, I’m still overwhelmed. After the first few shoots I figured that the buzz would have worn off, but I was totally wrong. It’s demanding, I won’t lie, but I’m still convinced that it’s too much fun for me to call it a proper ‘job’.

‘I’m sure. Just how pleased were you to have been casted for this new series?’

I’m incredibly lucky. Being able to learn and grow with an upcoming show takes the pressure off a little bit. I mean, of course you want to give your best for your audience, but it allows me time to develop my character as the narrative progresses. Also, this is the first major production for the whole team which is nice, because we’re all learning together. On ITV, too! That’s a pretty big deal. Again, I never thought I’d see the opportunity to work on something like this. When I was first approached, I left the offer hanging for a little while. I was so scared, and I didn’t think I had it in me, but threw myself at it – thank god – or I wouldn’t have had this amazing opportunity.

‘Obviously you like working with the show, but the concept itself. What do you make of it all? Do you think it’s relevant to today?’

Oh, absolutely. It’s like a more modernised take on Orwell’s ‘1984’, and I think that in many ways it’s the similarities between this dystopian fiction and our reality that make it so much more of a success. It makes it less of simply a dystopian fiction, but throws an element of horror into the mix as it becomes clear that the tragedies of the narrative could be the outcomes of our own actions.

 

‘Do you think that the show is more suited to the younger adults of today, rather than the older population given the themes?’

The series is definitely tailored to a more progressive audience. My age group of ‘millennials’, and also the ‘Gen Zs’ after us, will feel the deepest connection. The characters predominantly lie within these categories that might make it a little harder for older people to relate to. Ideas surrounding pollution, the media, mental health and current issues of female empowerment, disability inclusion, and… I’m not sure if I can tell you too much, but LGBTQ+ characters also make an appearance. More controversial topics basically, that might not be as well received or valued by the elderly than the young adults of today.

‘This female empowerment radiates from your character in particular. Do you think that having ‘____’ as a lead is important in today’s television industry.’

‘_____’ isn’t the lead as much as she is a rival to ‘…….’’s position. He’s still the focal character of the series but as you’ll start to discover – wink -, ‘____’ isn’t all she seems right now. That’s all I can tell you. The two work in unison with ‘…..’ being the key character, but ‘___’ challenging this and defying many stereotypes that a lot of women, particularly in the lore of television and cinema, are burdened with.

‘And you like working with this director? We hear they’re also fairly new to the scene. Could you share your experience with a newbie creator?’

I always envisioned a director as being an older, grumpy guy with glasses, frowning in his special seat and living off of coffee – specific, I know. But I was wrong. ‘_____’ is a joy to work with, very patient with all of us, and I’m so thankful to be working with her on my first large scale production. She’s an incredible visionary to create something so diverse, and she really holds the team together. I think that working such long hours in a frantic studio environment is enough to drive anyone slightly mad trying to organise, but she manages it. Also being a girl? I think that’s cool. Even now, like me, you probably picture mostly men running things behind the screens. Again, I was totally wrong. Maybe not about the coffee, though. I think it’s her life-source at this point.

‘I can’t say I blame her! Anyway, it’s been really great to speak with you today. I’m a big fan of your work so far, even if the series is in the earlier stages still. Did you have anything else you wanted to share? Maybe to your audience?’

I mean, really just that I hope they’re enjoying the content as much as I am being part of creating it. Keep going – the drama’s barely kicked in yet. And to those that haven’t watched yet: why not? Don’t worry, you haven’t that much just yet. It’s something fresh and different, definitely worth a try. Even if it is a little dark.

⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏫⏬⏩⏫⏪⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏫⏬⏩⏫⏪⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏬⏩⏫⏪⏫⏬⏩